Possibly the best filmed example of game theory in action ever.
posted by unSane on Apr 21, 2012 - 127 comments

On May 19, 1984, an unemployed ice cream truck driver named Michael Larson went on Press Your Luck and over the course of two episodes, took home more money than had ever been won in the history of television: $110,237 -- to the shock of the show’s producers and host, the late Peter Tomarken. How did he do it? The show’s game board had only 5 patterns of 18 squares, and Mr. Larson had memorized them all. After the show, CBS tried to disqualify him but couldn’t, because Larson hadn’t done anything illegal. But they did refuse to allow those episodes to be aired in syndication. So, they didn’t re-air until 2003, when the Game Show Network produced a Tomarken-hosted documentary about Mr. Larson’s incredible win: Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal. [more inside]
posted by zarq on Apr 3, 2012 - 42 comments

Caitlin Burke solved a 27 letter puzzle having seen only one letter revealed on the November 5 episode of Wheel of Fortune. Many are saying it was a miracle or dumb luck, but could it have been the work of a master puzzle solver?
posted by reenum on Nov 10, 2010 - 140 comments

As George Carlin once said, "it is an infinitely more interesting news story for a team to repeatedly fail at the highest level than it is for them to finally win." After ten years and over 1,500 episodes, last night's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (the US version) featured its very first Top Prize Loser. Ken Basin, of Los Angeles, incorrectly guessed that LBJ prefered Yoo-Hoo over Fresca, and walked away with $25,000 instead of $1,000,000. [more inside]
posted by Damn That Television on Aug 24, 2009 - 81 comments

Eric Lieber, producer of the groundbreaking Dick Cavett and Mike Douglas talk shows as well as the creator of (my own beloved guilty pleasure) Love Connection, has passed away of leukemia at age 71. [more inside]
posted by miss lynnster on Jul 7, 2008 - 5 comments

Let's pause for a moment to view the best part of any gameshow -- the stupid contestants. [more inside]
posted by flatluigi on Jan 13, 2008 - 36 comments

Are you a fan of Channel 4's venerable game show Countdown, but never had the chance to play? Check out this well-made Flash version. It's just one of the classic British game shows made interactive at wedigtv.com, which also features The Price is Right, Family Fortunes, and Blockbusters. Caution: Heavy Flash video, commercial breaks, and some of the UI takes a bit of practice. Via.
posted by milquetoast on Jul 1, 2007 - 17 comments

This is your mission should you choose to accept it. You start at Victoria Peak with bicycles and ride all the way down to the Victoria Harbour without using the pedals, and see how far you can go. The rules are: No pedalling allowed. Keep your feet off the ground. Ride with safety. It's not a time trial. The winner is the one who rides the most distance. Sounds fairly straightforward, but here's the hitch... you'll be competing against Jackie Chan. A two part mpeg video from a Japanese TV variety show called Tetsuwan Dash.
posted by riffola on Apr 12, 2002 - 13 comments